


Hereafter

by ConstableMichonne



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Comfort, Drama, F/M, Family, Isabela being the best aunt, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 09:14:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12603252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConstableMichonne/pseuds/ConstableMichonne
Summary: Having her world changed by her father's return, Leda cannot sleep. Forced to work through her thoughts, she finds that she is not alone. A sequel to LoquaciousQuark's "On Waking"





	Hereafter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loquaciousquark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loquaciousquark/gifts).
  * Inspired by [On Waking](https://archiveofourown.org/works/368126) by [loquaciousquark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loquaciousquark/pseuds/loquaciousquark). 



> A long time ago I read LoquaciousQuark's "On Waking" and fell in love with her fenhawke kid Leda. 5,000 rereads and some wishful thinking later and this happened. I always loved to imagine the idea of what would happen after and how a girl so young would deal with the aftermath of such a huge change in her life. I didn't want to blow this into a 10 chapter thing though so here we are. I hope you enjoy and that LocaciousQuark knows how much her writing has inspired me to continue my own (seriously go read all her stuff, it's amazing!)

This was quite possibly the longest Leda has ever been awake. There were nights where she would wake from a nightmare and could not go back to sleep without her mother's soothing voice and gentle embrace, but this was completely different. It was too much. The darkness, no different than any other night, was now an uneasy void of black that gave no comfort or calm. The moon was too bright in her window, her pillow too soft, and her bed too hard. It was as if a hard knot had taken root deep in her, twisting her insides all around and making it impossible for her mind to settle.

After turning on her side for the 24th time (she had counted), she sighed and sat up, eyes wandering around the dim moonlight of her room. Any other time she would use this moment to grab her favorite book and a candle, maybe even steal a treat from the hiding place mama thinks she doesn't know about, but she had no desire for either. She had her fill of sweets today, the mood so joyous that she was allowed almost anything. She could do nothing more than stare out the window into the night, mind racing and heart aching for everything and nothing.

She knew the cause of her restlessness, but she could hardly believe it herself. She turned her head towards her bedroom door, left only slightly cracked, and her heart's pace quickened once more. Was today truly real,  from start to finish? Did her father really lie beyond that door, no longer stuck in an eternal sleep but alive and awake? Did he really hold her to his chest as she sobbed while her mother soothed her with a lullaby? Something she had wished for the longest of times had finally come, and she was scared to truly believe it. It seemed like no more than a wishful thought for so long that she truly couldn't believe how quickly her life had changed in one afternoon.

Maybe she just needed another look, to see him back asleep as she is used to, and to know that it is truly not the same. With her mind made and the experience of many nights spent sneaking around the small cottage, she removed herself from her bed and tiptoed through the door and into the main room.

It was easy enough to slip past Uncle Varric and Aunt Isabela. They had not moved from the floor since her mama had laid out blankets for them. Mama had said that they were tired because they had a long day and _certainly not_ because they were drunk off the wine Aunt Isabela broke out amidst the long embraces and joyful tears. As she approached the door to her parents room with careful steps, she froze and almost considered turning back when she caught the sound of her mother's voice, but curiosity won as she peaked through the partially opened doorway.

 With the small amount of moonlight pouring into the room she was able to make out the form of her parents, both awake and alive, laying curled against one another. The beds that used to be at least two feet apart were now pushed together to form one single large bed, making the room seem so much bigger than before. Her mother was uttering something low, her eyes not straying from her father's face for even the slightest second. She then sat up, her legs still curled to one side to face her father. Although she doubted her mother could see her, Leda quickly and silently crouched to the floor to lay flat on her front with just enough length that she could see and hear through the small crack while keeping the rest of her body hidden from view.

"I know you said it was messy, but is there anything?"

"Only small things. Sounds, light, and darkness. At times I would feel nothing, and then everything." Her father sat up as well, resting his head against his side of the small headboard as the markings shone in the moonlight, flowing down his neck and illuminating his chest. "I remember little beyond that."

Her mother let out a tired sigh before resting her hand on his shoulder. "Were you in pain?"

"Yes. The markings, they burned. It must've been the magic, though I do not think I was always aware of it. It felt like an eternity," her father said as a strange, almost distant look came upon him. For a moment he seemed in a trance before his eyes darted back to her mother. "When I awoke, when I saw you, for a moment I thought it wasn't real."

"Hawke," His voice grew tight, and a chill ran down Leda's spine when she saw the hardened lines of his face. "Marian _—_ "

"Don't you dare apologize." Her mother cupped his cheek, pulling his face up to almost rest her forehead against his. "You protected us."

"And for two years I was lost to you and Leda," he replied, pulling her hand away from him yet still holding it by his side, interlocking his fingers with hers.

A moment passed with neither of them breaking their gaze before she lets out a broken little laugh, wilting against him with her head coming to rest on his shoulder. "Maker. Nothing's changed, has it?"

He did not answer, and although the room remained silent, Leda could not shake the sense that something unspoken had shifted as he reached his arm around her mother's waist, holding her to him in a way that seemed for need as much as comfort. It was no longer than a minute before she heard her mother's muffled voice say, "you were not lost."

"My unconscious body gave you no comfort," he replied, the frustration in his voice clear in the quiet of the room, "and Leda…she has grown."

"Sprouting like a weed if you ask me," her mother said as she turned her head to face him while still on his shoulder, "but not so much as you think."

A pause, and she continued, "she still loves you so much, you know. She talked to you every day."

His face twisted in an ugly scowl. "Yet I was not, could not-" his voice choked as he stopped there, closing his eyes and relaxing as he breathed out in a huge sigh. It was slight, but Leda could swear that she saw her father's grip tighten around her mother's waist as he asked, "what about you?"

"I'll admit it was... hard, at certain times," she said, her voice barely carrying through the small room, and her father moved to wrap his other arm around her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "But you're here now. That's more than enough."

Leda laid still at the foot of the door even as her parent's voice became softer and softer, her limbs and mind and heart too full and heavy to move. It was an awkward comfort to be near them, but enough for her eyes to slowly drift close. She was at the very edge of sleep when a familiar throaty voice snatched her back from the abyss.

"Well hello there, sweet thing," the voice called and Leda's head snapped up in a way that made her dizzy, her eyes meeting a familiar flash of gold hanging from a bronze neck.

"Who's there?" her mother called, sounding as if she too were on the verge of sleep.

Before Leda even had time to move, Isabela swung her long booted legs over Leda and pushed forward into the door, hiding the young girl from her parents sight. "It's just me. Can't see a thing in the dark," she said with a smile as Leda scooted away from the door and pushed herself up to stand behind it.

She could hear the teasing sarcasm in her mother's voice as she said, "eavesdropping, and you of all people? I would have never guessed."

Isabela put her hands on her hips, cocking them to one side, and said, "trust me my dear, if I had been enthralled by your _intimate_ caressing in the moonlight, I would have done more than watch."

"Goodnight Isabela," her father said with a tone that left no room for discussion, one that Leda imagined he would use when sending her to her room.

"Carry on then." With an embellishing turn, she stepped away from the door, closing it behind her while ushering Leda away without notice. The young girl struggled for a moment, head turning back towards her parent's room with a yearning that she could not understand, but with a soft smile and even softer nudge, she had let Isabela lead her back into the main room.

Letting go of her, Isabela continued to walk through the room and towards the front door, opening it wide and leaning against the door frame, head turned up towards the light of the moon and stars as they spanned the sky. Leda stayed still where she had left her, staring curiously at the woman as she looked far out from their home into the night, her golden jewelry swinging like a wind chime with every cool breeze. The stark difference in how she looked from earlier among her uncle and parents piqued her curiosity, and she found herself moving closer to her as a child would approach a butterfly.

"You're quite the little sneak, aren't you? I have to admit I'm proud," Isabela said, turning her head towards her as she reached her side. There was clear humor in her voice and yet still enough warm praise felt that Leda could only reply with a small shy smile.

Isabela gave her one in return and asked, "can't sleep?"

Leda shook her head and Isabela let out a short laugh and said, "I can imagine. A big day wasn't it?"

"Sorry about that by the way," Isabela continued, gesturing her head towards the inside of the house, "but they might need some privacy tonight. Seems like you knew that though."

Her reasoning was true and enough for Leda to understand, but the small hard knot had surfaced again and as she looked back into the darkness of the house her frustration was only slightly eased. As she turned back to the her, she couldn't help but notice the odd glassy look that came across the older woman's face as she stared, and a part of her wondered if she had glanced through something unknown to either of them. But as quick as she noticed it, it was gone with another warm gaze as Isabela asked, "I still owe you that story though don't I?"

"Let's see..." she drew out while crossing her arms, tapping a finger against her chin, "has anyone ever told you about the time Varric and I went on the longest of journeys with the King of Fereldan?"

The distraction was obvious, and Leda could not help the lifting of her eyebrows and deadpan voice asking, "you did?"

"Oh yes," Isabela said, gesturing her arms out in front of her in the grand way that only she could do, "epic swordfights, close calls with Qunari and Magisters. I'll even show you the dagger that took the last one down."

Leda tilted her head and said, "Qunari? Magisters?"

"Maker, you don't know about those? Well, it's long enough to explain." Isabela held out her hand, and for a moment Leda had wanted nothing more than to stubbornly march back into the dark of the house and lay herself against her parents door, but the look in her aunt's eyes matched the curiosity in her own, and part of her knew that there was more to her offer than a simple story.

"He'll be there in the morning, I promise." Isabela said with a voice almost shockingly gentle, one that reminded Leda of her mother's when she would rock her to sleep through a storm. Like drawn to a flame, she took Isabela's hand and let her lead her away out onto the front of the house. Sitting across the grass, Isabela brought the young girl's head to her lap, running a hand from her hair down to the side of her chin.

"Now, I believe it all started in Antiva City..."

As Leda listened to Isabela begin her tale, the wave of all that had occurred today rushed over her once more, threatening to swallow her whole. But as she looked up at the light of the moon and stars and dark blanket of sky above, she felt nothing but the calm acceptance of a world that was now wholly shifted, but entirely better.

Without much more thinking (for she had done more than enough tonight), Leda drifted off, allowing herself to be taken away by daring adventures on the high seas.


End file.
